India Coronavirus Dispatch: Complaints of domestic violence rose in 2020

Covovax screening process to start in Pune, a study finds coronavirus infects the mouth, and more-news relevant to India's fight against Covid-19

Hyderabad airport gets new tech to track vaccine shipments

GMR Hyderabad Air Cargo (GHAC), a division of GMR Air Cargo and Aerospace Engineering Limited (GACAEL), has tied up with Singapore-based technology startup StaTwig to introduce a new technology-based solution to track and monitor vaccine shipments handled at the airport's cargo terminal, a report in The Hindu said. The development is significant since Hyderabad is a key global supplier of vaccines. The region is set to produce over 3.5 billion shots of coronavirus vaccine over the next couple of years in the global fight against the pandemic, the report said. Read more here

Complaints of domestic violence surged in Covid year

Complaints of domestic violence to the National Commission for Women (NCW) rose sharply in 2020 when most people were forced to stay home amid the pandemic-induced nationwide lockdown, a report in NDTV said. The NCW received a total of 23,722 complaints of crimes against women in 2020, compared to 19,730 in 2020, according to official data. A year after the lockdown, the NCW continues to receive over 2,000 complaints of crimes against women each month with nearly one-fourth of them related to domestic violence, the report said. Read more here

Covovax screening process to start in Pune

The bridging study of Pune-based drugmaker Serum Institute of India's (SII) new Covid vaccine "Covovax" is expected to start soon in Pune, The Indian Express reported citing a source close to the matter. The screening process for volunteers began earlier this week. The vaccine was developed by US-based vaccine maker Novovax, SII is a manufacturing partner. The vaccine is expected to launch by August following the bridging study in India. This study will be carried out using 1,600 participants in 19 sites across Delhi, UP, Maharashtra, Kerala, Punjab, Puducherry, Odisha, Karnataka and West Bengal. Read more here

Coronavirus infects the mouth: Study finds

Scientists have found evidence that the novel coronavirus infects the mouth, including inside the cheeks, in the gums, and in salivary glands, a report in CNN said. The findings—published in the peer-reviewed medical journal Nature Medicine—may explain why the loss of taste is a common symptom associated with Covid-19. The researchers also suggest the mouth is an important source of the spread of the virus. Read more here

Google searches for WFH jobs, e-courses surge in Covid year

As Covid-19 upended lives and ravaged the economy, internet search queries such as “work from home jobs”, “online course”, “how to sell online” and “certificate course” were among those that recorded the most growth in India in 2020, according to Google’s annual ‘Year in Search’ report, The Indian Express reported. While the search term “work from home jobs” saw a 140 per cent growth from 2019, the query “online course” saw 85 per cent growth. Searches for “certificate course” saw 50 per cent growth and “how to sell online” saw over 65 per cent rise in searches, the report said. Read more here